Or, an interview request can come your way from a competitor, but you will not be prepared to show your work.

Finally, a job portfolio is an effective tool in negotiating a raise or promotion by showing your boss your achievements in recent months or years.

Lakeland Community College Career Services explains that “a well-prepared portfolio shows your achievements, documents the scope and quality of your experience and training, and shows your skills and abilities.”

Steps To Create A Job Portfolio…

Personalise It

You should tailor the job portfolio to the company you will show it to.

While you should list all of your great work examples to show your current boss at a job performance review, personalise it when interviewing.

If you are a content writer who has clients in various fields, but are applying for a job as a medical writer, include relevant samples to show your medical knowledge.

Similarly, a content writer who is applying for a writing job that requires Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) knowledge should focus on articles that have keywords, links and meta tags.

Keep It Current

Review your employment portfolio annually to make sure your samples are current and relevant.

A website designer likely used different tools and software programmes five years ago than they do today.

Show that you are current in industry developments by sharing only the most current work.

Create An Electronic Version

It may be advantageous to create an electronic version of your career portfolio, especially to share examples of online work.

A website developer can print images from a site he created, but providing a link so the portfolio reviewer can experience the functionality of the site for themselves can create a better impression.

Make It Look Professional

After you have chosen the most relevant and current samples, create a folder that will look professional, neat and well-put together.

Laminate your pages, or simply use plastic page covers to protect the portfolio from getting damaged.

Insert the pages in a binder or head to a local copy store to create a booklet.

Include a table of contents to help the reader find the material he is looking for quickly.

Taking the time to create a job portfolio and revising it can come in handy at a point in time.

Although you may not anticipate using it in the near future, it is always smart to be prepared.

Mark Williams

Mark Williams is a learning and development professional, using business psychology and multiple intelligences to create fascinating and quickly-identifiable learning initiatives in the real-world business setting. Mark’s role at MTD is to ensure that our training is leading edge, and works closely with our trainers to develop the best learning experiences for all people on learning programmes. Mark designs and delivers training programmes for businesses both small and large and strives to ensure that MTD’s clients are receiving the very best training, support and services that will really make a difference to their business.